Brent Mutis, CapU Sport Information & Compliance Officer

Chance encounters count for a lot in Jenn Bodnar’s life.

Without a certain right-place-at-the-right-time type of story, the longtime Blues women’s basketball assistant coach and former Blues point guard might never have come to Capilano University in the first place.

And it was another serendipitous meeting that has led to her now moving on from the team she has been a part of for the last decade.

Bodnar is moving to California just before Christmas to be with her boyfriend whom she happened to meet while on holiday. She will continue her career as a registered nurse after she relocates but the move will bring to an end a special association between Bodnar and Blues basketball that began almost exactly 10 years ago.

That was right after that first chance meeting with then-Blues head coach Paul Chiarenza. After stints at the University of the Fraser Valley (UFV) and Douglas College, Bodnar was taking a semester off and found herself at her old high school gym in Agassiz, B.C. watching younger sister Leanne play in a tournament game against Chiarenza’s Southridge high school team.

“Paul saw me after the game and he came up to me and he’s like, ‘Bodnar, where are you playing this year? I haven’t seen you in the league.’

“I told him I’m not playing anywhere and he’s like, ‘What do you mean you’re not playing?... that’s so ridiculous.’”

As it turned out, the Blues would be in need of a point guard for the second half of the season so Chiarenza placed a call to Bodnar, helped her get enrolled at CapU and she was practicing with the team by late December 2010.

The timing was perfect. Bodnar fit in well running the Blues offence and she helped lead the team, which included Blues greats Jessica Franz and Monika Starczynowski, into provincials where they defeated UBC-Okanagan in the PACWEST title game. It was the first gold medal for CapU women’s basketball in 23 years.

“I think my favourite playing memory would probably be winning a championship; that’s what you work towards the whole time,” says Bodnar. “And then getting to go to nationals was probably the highlight just because not very many teams get to go. Our nationals that year were in Niagara Falls… it was really neat to see that part of Canada.”

Jenn Bodnar - Career Accolades

CapU and the Blues program gave Bodnar the opportunity she had not found in her previous stops. That first half-season secured ties between athlete and university that have remained through to now. Whatever competition might come about in the future, it will no doubt feel strange for the players and head coach Chris Weimer to continue their preparations without her.

“It’s pretty hard to put into words… she’s going to be really hard to replace,” says Weimer. “It’s not so much the X’s and O’s stuff. It’s those other things like the rapport she has with the players, players feeling comfortable talking to her.

“For something that almost wasn’t, it ended up being 10 years of her life. I think everyone appreciates what she’s done, that she stuck around and she’s been committed.”

“The other great thing about her is she’s going to speak her mind; if she feels I need to adjust something or a player needs to adjust something, she’ll straight up tell you. That’s something I want and I think that’s something the players really appreciated.”

After her playing career finished in 2013, Bodnar would go on to receive a financial boost through the CCAA Female Apprentice program in 2013 which helped her transition to coaching. Even as she was working her way through a nursing program at BCIT, she remained on the coaching staff.

Often in the early part of her nursing career, Bodnar has arrived for a Blues game or practice on little to no sleep after a long shift at the hospital. Her vocal background has even given her the chance to perform O Canada before Blues games on several occasions. The myriad experiences have made her a fixture in the Blues Athletics and Recreation Department.

“Jenn’s ability as a player and then as a coach are exemplary,” says CapU Manager of Athletics and Recreation Milt Williams. “Jenn has the capacity to bring the abilities and talents on the team all together by helping everyone focus on a common goal. Her contributions to this organization have been immense.

“Knowing her over the past decade, I am seriously going to miss her and I wish her the best of luck for her new endeavour and the never-ending adventures.”

Bodnar’s ties to CapU’s people and places mean the choice to move on was not a simple one.

“It’s just tough,” says Bodnar, fighting back tears. “They’ve become my family really. Just the memories and the friendships I’ve made. All the people I’ve worked with, the athletic department, everyone has been so supportive, I can really say they’re family. They’ve been there through everything

“They’ve supported me so I’m proud to be able to call myself a Blues alum now.”

The global pandemic cost the Blues a chance to go to the 2020 CCAA national championships. It also cost Bodnar a chance to properly say goodbye to the current team. Last week, as the Blues were training, COVID-19 numbers were spiking in B.C. and sports for adult-age athletes were put on pause so training had to be postponed and Bodnar will be gone by the time the team is allowed to resume.

“I’m sad to have to be leaving but I will definitely keep in touch and give back to the program as much as I can since they gave so much to me,” she says. “I’m lucky to be able to be part of such a great program. It’s tough to put into words what it means to be a Blue.”